PART C: You, the Student
Discuss an “Aha” from Creative Writing class.
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My biggest “aha” was inspired by Claire Beaney’s visit to our creative writing class. With us, she had shared an ekphrasis of Van Gogh’s Starry Night. The beautifully serendipitous part about it all was that, the weekend before her visit, I had been wanting to write a poem about an iconic Van Gogh quote: “The sadness will last forever.” The only problem was that I really didn’t know how to approach it. Until Claire read “Of Lights that May Fall”, of course, which got the ol’ wheels turning. Specifically, it was the word “ekphrastic” that had captivated me so–a word from Claire’s explication. Because this got me thinking; what would be characteristic of an ekphrastic soul? And what would it mean to share a soul with someone, perhaps even Vincent Van Gogh?
These were the ideas–the “aha’s”–that inspired, by far, the best poem I have ever written–“Art Imitates Sadness.”
So thank you, Claire!
What have you accomplished as a reader?
To be quite honest, I have not been terribly successful as a reader, especially these past few months. Naturally, I have often negated my readings in order to prioritize my school work instead. In other words, I would set aside time for studying, but I would often fail to set aside time for myself. Really, twenty minutes a day of reading wouldn’t have killed me and it, by no means, would have had any real impact on my GPA in the long run. Of course, me being the person I am, I would often catastrophize, so I managed to convince myself that I couldn’t afford to lose any time–not even twenty times. As a result, there are many novels I started but did not end up finishing; I found that I was unable to fully commit to the majority of my readings, hence my ridiculously low reading rate.
However, now that summer is approaching, and since I am not planning to go to post-secondary, I plan to correct my bad reading habits. This means reading for at least 20 minutes a day and getting through my monster of a reading list (see below).
What is your PLAN to read next?
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NOVELS:
- Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen *
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson*
- The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold*
- The Arabian Nights translated by Sir Richard Burton
- The Shape of Water by Daniel Kraus
- Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov *
-
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F— by Mark Manson
- Letters of Vincent Van Gogh by Mark Roskill
- Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman
*Will actually finish this time*
POETRY:
- Bone by Yrsa Daley-Ward
- I Hope My Voice Doesn’t Skip by Alicia Cook
- On Love by Charles Bukowski
- The People Look Like Flowers At Last by Charles Bukowski
- The Day is Ready for You by Alison Malee
- Smoke and Mirrors by Michael Faudet
- Wild Embers by Nikita Gill
- Moon Theory by r.m. Drake
- Lavender by Christopher Pointdexter
- Naked Human by Christopher Pointdexter
- Light Filters In by Caroline Kaufman
Discuss the best book you read this semester
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Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flag is, by far, the best book I’ve read this emester. As I had noted in my February Reading Ladder, Fried Green Tomatoes made me nostalgic for a life I never lived and it made me mourn the loss of a people I have never known—the Threadgoodes with their inspiring love for life and their untameable vivacity. See, Fannie Flagg tells stories the way they are supposed to be told; Fried Green Tomatoes is the ideal story due to its ability to completely captivate its readers, and, therefore, act as a combatant against reality. Now, although in Part A, I reiterated the importance of facing reality as a writer, as a reader, I like to escape every now and then. And this novel became my escape for the month and a half I chipped away at it. When I found myself exasperated with my own life and relationships, I let myself slip away to Whistle Stop, Alabama, with its eccentric but loveable inhabitants. I absolutely fell in love with the intriguing nature and subtle humour of this piece.
How does reading improve your writing?
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I find that reading often inspires me stylistically; that is, it encourages me to try on different styles. For example, I credit my flair for flash poetry to Rupi Kaur; my exploration of love and heartbreak to Lang Leav; and the creative formation of my words to Amanda Lovelace*. Of course, these authors only represent a mere fraction of the poets that have inspired me. My point is, you will never truly know what works for you and what doesn’t work for you if you aren’t first willing to emulate the styles of other authors. And, in order to emulate, you must first read! In other words, you cannot expect yourself to be a successful writer if you do not take the initiative to explore the success and professionality of other writers.
*An example of the “creative formation” of Lovelace’s words:
What have you accomplished as a writer?
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For as long as I can remember, my greatest goal as a writer has been to inspire others through my poetry. But, due to my relapse back into a depressive state this last semester, I began to doubt myself as a poetess; sadness conditioned me to believe that my writing was mediocre at best and that my words, in the grand scheme of things, truly did not matter.
But, then, my good friend Adam Pap wrote this for me:
On a cold, snowy day in the middle of March, I was inspired. Jade, you gave me the inspiration that I so desperately lacked in too many ways. You gave it to me in the form of 8 words that I’m never going to forget. For this assignment, I took those 8 words and emulated on them, writing what I felt, not what I thought…. and yes the two are different.
Jade, I dedicate this piece to you as a thanks.
Blank pages speak louder than words ever could. My book was empty. Not because I didn’t want to write, but because I had no clue what to write. I love the idea of being able to write pages upon pages but I never knew what to write. Coming to class used to be a constant struggles as well. My biggest problem was that nothing motivated me, nothing. Nothing until the first time that I sat next to you. I remember feeling the pressure because I felt as if I had a mountain to live up to by sitting next to you. Every opportunity, every chance you got to share what you thought, you took. You didn’t, and still don’t, care about what other people think and that’s more than I can say for myself. You made me want to be a better person in class. Seeing you give such a lack of shit for what others thought about you made me want to be like you. I wanted you to be able to see me progress, not just as a writer but also a person. My Poetry is garbage and I only have two comments that I’ve given, but I’m on my way to hopefully something better. You should know that one day, I wish to be as great of a writer as you.
Blank pages speak louder than words ever could. You showed me that, and still continue to show me more every single day…. well the days that I come to class that is.
Adam, thank you for reminding me of my worth as a writer–for reminding me that my poetry is capable of inspiring others. It is because of you, and this piece, that I feel accomplished. I’m so profoundly happy that I have made an impact in your life. And that is the duty of a poet, I think–to condition people to find meaning in things that are often accepted as being meaningless.
Even blank pages.
What is your PLAN to write next?
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- A spoken word about the Greek Gods and Goddesses– an exploration of the extremities of my character as well as an exploration of my Greek heritage and culture.
- A spoken word about the corruption of the education system and the negative impacts it can have–and has had– on the mental health of teenagers, myself included.
- A play about various Ophelias throughout the ages, including both fictional characters and real life figures. The different Ophelias include Eve (from the Garden of Eden), Shakespeare’s Ophelia, Zazel (the first human cannonball), and Amelia Earhart. Each are similar in the sense that, to a certain extent, they were all broken or “lost” women.
Will you take Creative Writing again? Why? Why not?
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Not with Hunni, since I’ll be graduating. 🙁 Although, since I am not going to university, I will have an abundance of time to work on my poetry, and, hopefully, I will eventually get it published. So, really, every day will be a creative writing day. Perhaps I will take a class when/if the opportunity arises, but, as of right now, no opportunity has really presented itself.
What are your next steps to improve as a writer?
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- Keep writing; yes, I have improved immensely since last year. But no one is ever done learning and improving– myself included–and practice makes perfect!
- Keep reading! A gal’s gotta get her inspiration from somewhere.
- Because I am working towards getting an anthology published I need to:
I) Finish organizing and putting the anthology together.
II) Write a cover letter.
III) Get an opinion on the cover letter.
IV) Submit to publishing companies!
Simply click on a given image to access the site from which it was originally obtained. 🙂
